Fives years after being let go from the Today show, Ann Curry is breaking her silence.
Media outlets speculated her June 28, 2012 dismissal to her poor relationship with her former co-anchor Matt Lauer, and the pair's lack of "chemistry."
However, this past November, Lauer's contract with NBC was terminated for his alleged acts of sexual misconduct. While some would expect Curry to be exuberant over the news, she instead spoke to PEOPLE about her empathy towards the victims.
"I'm not a vengeful person. I know what it's like to be humiliated. I just don't want to play a part in anyone else's humiliation," Curry said.
"I wish I could say that I was celebrating," she added. "But actually I immediately checked myself. Because I knew women had suffered."
Now, Curry is ready to speak out on how she felt all those years ago.
The Emmy-award winning journalist recalls her final appearance on Today, where she said: "And for all of you who saw me as a ground breaker, I'm sorry I couldn't carry the ball over the finish line. But man, I did try."
"It hurt like hell," Curry said. "It hurt so much, but I learned a lot about myself. I can say I've done nothing wrong. I've been honest and true. I've tried to stay pure. I've tried to not respond in a knee-jerk manner, and I've stayed very close to who I am. So it hurt, but I'm also proud of myself."
Despite only being on the show for less than a year, Curry was noticeably silent on the subject matter.
"Experience has taught me, as a journalist, the No. 1 thing you have to be is humble," she said. "It's not about you."
However, that didn't mean she didn't live without any resentment.
"I'm not going to say it wasn't hard," Curry said. "But I had to let go. And I learned that when you not only let go but open your arms wide and learn the lessons that an experience "” no matter how bad "” can teach you, that's when you rise."
"I can say today I'm stronger now. I'm smarter. I'm happier, as happy as I've ever been. And my compassion has only grown. When you go through the pain and learn the lessons, you will be changed for the better," Curry continued.
Now, Curry is focusing her energy on her new new six-part PBS docuseries We'll Meet Again, which will focus on 12 stories of "people searching for individuals who changed their lives."
"I've always thought of journalism as a service profession. I'm in it to give, not to get. This show lets me explore people's beautiful wishes to reconnect with the people who helped them survive," Curry said.
"The power we have to do good and to have compassion lives deep within us all, and I believe it's something we need to be reminded of," she added. "There are times we forget it exists, and we may be living in one of those times right now. But the capacity for good is still there. It exists, and it will rise again."
What did you think about Curry's 2012 dismissal fromt the Today show?
